It sounds strange, and I'm by no means well enough to do all he suggests, but even the little bit I can do seems to be making an enormous difference. It sounds strange, and I'm by no means well enough to do all he suggests, but even the little bit I can do seems to be making an enormous difference.
If you have low energy, you need to check this book out....more
Camden Grayson and her sisters Maddie and Blaine were curious why their father had called them together. When he told them, they were shocked. Of all Camden Grayson and her sisters Maddie and Blaine were curious why their father had called them together. When he told them, they were shocked. Of all things, he had sold the house and bought an island! Three Sisters Island, indeed. What was going on with him? Was it a delayed reaction after their mother’s death?
But Paul Grayson insisted he was well and that he wanted his daughters to be a part of it of this dream he had shared with their mother....
Great book for homeschoolers and other educators to help their students, as well as for anyone else who needs to focus in order to succeed at school oGreat book for homeschoolers and other educators to help their students, as well as for anyone else who needs to focus in order to succeed at school or work.
I aim to write an article on this and when I do, I will link to it from here....more
What is the single biggest factor shaping our lives today? Some suggest it’s our screens.
Although that is a simplistic answer, it is certainly true foWhat is the single biggest factor shaping our lives today? Some suggest it’s our screens.
Although that is a simplistic answer, it is certainly true for many people. And this, obviously, is not good. First of all, we Christians should be most influenced by the gospel, not screens. Secondly, if we are controlled by screens, we are actually controlled by those who control what’s on our screens—and no one, thinking about it, would want to be controlled by the companies that make money from our use of apps and social media.
On the other hand, almost no one would advocate living without screens.
So what should we do, as society in general and as Christian homeschoolers in particular? First of all we need to recognize that
"Technology is intrinsically neither good nor bad. The key is using it to support your goals and values, rather than letting it use you."
In Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World, Cal Newport aims to show how this can be done. He claims that it is not enough to just tweak a few settings or apps here and there; instead we need a full-fledged philosophy of technology use.
As a person with low energy, limited time, and a wish to do more than I physically can, I am constantly evaluating and prioritizing tasks and opportunAs a person with low energy, limited time, and a wish to do more than I physically can, I am constantly evaluating and prioritizing tasks and opportunities, trying to determine what is the next thing I should be doing. It is a daily, even hourly set of decisions: do I work on homeschooling records or freeze tomatoes, do I walk the dogs or take a rest, do I hang out with the kids or call my parents, and what should I do after homeschooling?
I am sure that you face your own set of decisions.
In fact, life is about making decisions, big ones and little ones. And sometimes they can all seem overwhelming. How should a Christian deal with this?
In The Next Right Thing, bestselling author Emily Freeman gives us her gentle, loving point of view, pointing out that no matter where we are in any decision, we are called just to do the next right thing, in love....
This book is not only inspiring but also full of helpful information. For me it has been a lifechanger, even though I would dispute the author on certThis book is not only inspiring but also full of helpful information. For me it has been a lifechanger, even though I would dispute the author on certain points.
I am aiming to review it on my blog in 2020....more
I came across this library book when one of my children had problems at work, so I quickly read it to see if it might help her.
Works Well with Others I came across this library book when one of my children had problems at work, so I quickly read it to see if it might help her.
Works Well with Others has some helpful pointers but the book itself is not worth reading. It is meant to be funny and the author tells stories about himself, some of which are fun and some of which are inappropriate. The fact that there is even a chapter defending profanity says enough.
So here are the helpful pointers; with this information you won’t have any need to look at the book itself: • Shake hands well • Make eye contact • Be curious about things • Admit ignorance • Smile • Shut up • Small talk is important • Formulas for speeches: (Tell them what you’ll say, say it, and then tell them what you said; vivid personal story, recommend one action, explain how they will benefit from it; personal story about why it is important, then tell about it, then draw a pithy conclusion) • Clothes give you confidence • It helps to seem successful • Think about the motivation of nasty people, and, if necessary, ask them bemusedly why they would do that. • Think through ‘wince’ memories and defuse emotion by focussing on peripheral details
Or, in Christian terms: • Respect and care about others • Be honest • Honor others above self • Do not be full of timidity • Work for God; don’t be self-focussed • Help others become better • Forgive and focus on what is good, beautiful, and true ...more
Dr. Rana Awdish, a young pregnant doctor nearing the end of her training, unexpectedly enters the hospital as a patient, again and again and again. ThDr. Rana Awdish, a young pregnant doctor nearing the end of her training, unexpectedly enters the hospital as a patient, again and again and again. These experiences form her as a person and transform her as a doctor.
She learns compassion and caring, and learns to question the idea that doctors need to be emotionally detached in order to be effective. She explores ways in which doctors can learn to be caring and ways in which they can learn to connect to their own emotions.
She writes about, illness, about critical care in a top critical care facility, about doctor-patient relationships, about the arrogant attitude of doctors to their patients’ illness and death, and about physicians’ emotions.
It is entirely possible to feel someone's pain, acknowledge their suffering, hold it in our hands and support them with our presence without depleting ourselves, without clouding our judgment. But only if we are honest about our own feelings. Physicians are prone to all the same human emotions of pride and guild and denial and shame that distort our reason. We are just trained to believe we an surmount them. Emotions tended to can be claimed. Those we deny will always float. Allowing space for our feelings when we've been trained to deny them is not selfish, it's necessary, both for ourselves and for our patients. p 239
It may not be obvious to the author or to most doctors, but what strikes me most in this book is the lack of prevention. Nowhere is self-care mentioned, and self-abuse, even during pregnancy, is accepted without comment.
Yes, in a critical care facility there is an enormous amount to do, and medical training is notorious for its unhealthy lifestyle. Even so, it is a glaring indictment of the whole medical system that prevention is not considered vital, either for doctors or for patients. It exemplifies the arrogance of physicians, repeatedly discussed by Awdish in other contexts, but in this case with respect to their own bodies and their patient’s bodies.
However, this lack of acceptance of physical realities is not confined to medicine; it is becoming an increasingly characteristic part of our society as people reject sleep, movement, real food, and even their own genitalia.
It would be a good thing if we as a society were to humbly accept that we are bodies as well as minds, and that bodies require care. Such an attitude would automatically lead to what Awdish proposed, increased compassion in medicine....more
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